Bat out of Hell
by SheerwaterPhoenix
Summary: With news of a coming eclipse, Phoenix rises from the dead to ensure that nothing prevents Zotz's liberation from the Underworld. But rebellion against the Vampyrum brews, and soon she must fight for her life and her kingdom as well as her god. / After hundreds of years under the tyrannical rule of the Vampyrum, the Chrotopterus strike back when the world itself is endangered.
1. Alive

**Set before the TV series/first book.**

 **This story draws on my previous story, "From the Ashes," as background.**

"Another living creature has entered my realm."

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. Phoenix did not react beyond bowing her head as she flew. A ridge jutted from the cracked earth, leading to the live animal, she knew. She veered from her course to follow it.

"You will have your sacrifice," she said.

Laughter made the air tremble. "This need not be a sacrifice, though certainly I would be the last to object. You have given me your own life and more. You may take this one for yourself."

Phoenix's wingbeats faltered in surprise. "Thank you, My Lord," she breathed, already imagining sinking her fangs deep into flesh and wrenching, tearing that beautiful, glimmering life from another's body and inhaling it, life coursing through her blood and bones and muscles and lungs. Once again that wonderful flicker of light would be hers. It had been so long. How long? How long had she been dead? More than a century, surely, at least two or three. She had memorized the constellations of the false stars, how long a rotation took, but she only needed to use the cavern's 'sky' for navigation, the time only for how long a living animal could last.

"It has been nearly three hundred years," said Zotz. "Soon there will be another total eclipse above my temple in the Upper World. You will return there and ensure that my living followers are well prepared."

Another eclipse. Another chance to free her god from the Underworld. And another chance to live.

"As you command, Lord Zotz."

* * *

The creature was a bat, a small one with pale fur and long ears and a glow sparking across its fur and patagium. Briefly, Phoenix wondered how it had ended up beneath the earth. Perhaps it had roosted too deep within a cave.

The glow—the life—was so strange after three hundred years, and yet still so familiar. Now it would be hers again. Now she would have what should have been hers three times over.

She shook her head as if to clear the thought. Zotz had owed her nothing. Phoenix had made her choice long ago. She gave what she could; she served him rather than lounging in the jungle paradise for an eternity; she expected nothing in return and yet would receive life.

The small bat was flying over the desert, head and ears swiveling nervously, screeching out frantic bursts of sound to see by. A wind kicked up, throwing grit into the air. Phoenix, accustomed to the Underworld, could see quite well; the live bat had no such luck. Its glow cut through the sudden sandstorm, a clear beacon among the sharp bits of rock. Phoenix could hardly feel them. The live bat struggled.

Gaining rapidly, she rose above the light and, as soon as she was directly over its source, plunged.

She clamped down on the bat's neck, black teeth slicing through arteries and snapping its spine. Blood spurted but she couldn't taste it. Not yet. A final shocked, pained gasp left the bat before that dazzling, singing life seeped from its corpse and swirled in the air. Waiting.

Phoenix shoved her snout into the radiant mist and inhaled hungrily. Warmth spilled through her, through her muzzle and head and ears, her back and chest and wings, and she could feel hot blood flowing in her veins again. Her dead heart jerking and then _beating._ She breathed in deeply and felt it in every inch of her body. The light and sound surged through her, bringing back sensation. The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, tasted thick and salty in her mouth. Shards of stone pricked her wings and face but the sandstorm quickly died down.

 _Alive._

She expertly ripped off the bat's wings, letting them fall to the ground, and began feeding. It was difficult to do so in mid air, but there was nowhere to roost. When she was finished she dropped the stripped carcass and glanced down at the ridge on the ground. It ended. What now?

Her vision flared as she realized: The Tree. It was her only way out of here. Nearly three centuries of keeping bats from reaching it and she'd have to travel through it herself.

* * *

The Tree had the same glow of life that she'd taken from the live bat that had been trapped in the Underworld. That much Phoenix could see from the rim of the valley in which it was situated. Once she entered the valley, she immediately felt the difference. It was so jarring that she froze in midair and dropped a few inches before righting herself.

Cama Zotz was not here. This valley, somehow, was separate from the rest of the Underworld, somewhere Zotz couldn't reach.

As she approached, she discovered that it was not just a glow but raging flames that consumed the Tree. When she came close enough to see a knothole in its trunk, she braked and circled in front of it, wary. She was to enter this inferno? Surely she would die a second time! She would burn alive!

No. Zotz would not have allowed her life if she would die trying to return to the Upper World. As terrible as this Tree looked, it could not be the end.

She shot through the knothole and the only thing she was aware of was astonishing, breathtaking speed.

* * *

Jungle.

Not until she reemerged into the Upper World did she realize how empty the land of the dead had been. It had been so quiet there, at least in the wastelands. Here she heard insects buzzing, birds screeching, bats' wingbeats, creatures skittering about. And the smells! She'd very nearly forgotten that sense, but now she could smell rich earth and decaying leaves and sweet flowers and everything else. It was overwhelming after the barren Underworld desert.

Cool fog wreathed the jungle, so Phoenix rose above the canopy. She couldn't quite remember the stars here after so long, but she knew where she was. This was home.

She set course for the Vampyrum pyramid.

 **I know this is a really short chapter, but it's sort of a prologue. Other chapters will be longer.**


	2. Arrival at the Pyramid

Moonlight painted the jungle bluish-silver. Phoenix had been surprised at the moon's brightness, at how small and numerous the real stars were. A slight breeze ruffled her fur and stirred leaves and branches. Something far below roared, momentarily silencing some scurrying animals.

Flying was easier than it was in the Underworld. She could tell that immediately. The pull of gravity wasn't as strong here. It took her a few minutes to adjust, but once she had, flying was so _easy._

Even just _being_ here in the Upper World was better—the sounds, smells, sensations, everything. She'd completely forgotten what living was like. The air itself seemed almost alive, thick with heat and moisture.

For a long time she just enjoyed listening to her heart, life humming both within and around her.

She passed over a wide river that was hardly flowing and it occurred to her that she was thirsty—her throat was dry and itchy. She skimmed over it and gulped down water, relishing how cool it was.

A giant fish burst up through the water and snapped at her. She flipped out of the way and shot up away from the river. She hovered several dozen feet overhead, staring at the spot where the fish had disappeared. The jungle had never been safe.

Her heart was beating even faster.

She loved it.

* * *

Phoenix encountered Vampyrum bats long before she came into sight of the pyramid. She looked at the moon—it was past midnight. _Of course. Nearly the entire colony should be out hunting now._

The other Vampyrum Spectrum took no note of her, intent on hunting. Reminded of the hunger gnawing at her stomach—one bat hadn't been nearly enough after nothing for three centuries—Phoenix considered hunting on the way to the pyramid but ultimately decided against it. She could hunt later.

After a while, her wings started to ache and the unfamiliar pain surprised her. How long had she been flying? It hadn't seemed like very long, but she'd pretty much lost all sense of time in the Underworld, and she could not remember how long it took for a living bat to tire.

She allowed herself to roost for a minute or two before continuing on her way. The rest hadn't helped much, and though her wings had loosened up, black spots kept flashing across her vision.

The pyramid soon came into view. Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise as she saw it for the first time in nearly three hundred years.

It wasn't nearly as grand as she remembered, hardly anything compared to the magnificent sonic structures in the Underworld. Vines and plants almost completely covered it, and parts of it were crumbling. The doorway from the royal chamber that overlooked the jungle was entirely blocked by greenery. There were fewer bats than she had expected as well, fewer than the colony had had in her time.

She knew it had been a long time. But still...to see it for herself...

She shook her head and kept flying.

When she reached the temple, three burly guards swooped down from their roosts and barred her path.

"Who are you?" demanded one.

"I am Phoenix. I come to speak with the high priest by command of Lord Zotz."

The guards glanced at one another, at a loss. One of them began quickly speaking to the other two in a low voice. Phoenix simply waited.

"Let her pass," called a harsh, creaky voice from inside the temple. "But send a messenger to the king."

Phoenix looked past the guards to see an ancient bat with tattered ears, several bald patches, and a crooked spine. The guards shared another look and then parted, and she flew into the temple and landed in front of the old bat. His gaunt face made his eyes look larger than they should be.

"Phoenix, you say?" As he spoke, she saw that his teeth were yellow and crooked, several of them broken.

She nodded. A few black dots danced in front of her eyes.

"I am Voxzaco, high priest of Cama Zotz. You claim he sent you here?"

She nodded again. "Yes. From the Underworld itself." She saw no reason to lie, especially to a priest of Zotz. "There shall be an eclipse—"

Voxzaco's eyes bulged and he hurriedly gestured to the guards, who seemed to be discussing which of them to send. "Quickly, _send a message to the king!"_ he cried. "He must come here at once! Any of you, go!"

One of the guards dropped from his roosted and flapped off into the jungle, throwing a last suspicious glance at Phoenix.

"The Underworld itself," Voxzaco repeated. "You mean to tell me that you have risen from the dead?"

Phoenix lifted her chin. "Yes." She smiled to show her obsidian teeth, Zotz's gift to her. Voxzaco's eyes widened in surprise. _He must know what that means,_ she thought. "I died nearly three hundred years ago under an eclipse," she continued, "on this very Stone. I was a willing sacrifice, made in Lord Zotz's name to liberate him from the Underworld. Now I have returned to make sure that this time it is a success."

Voxzaco gave a tiny gasp. "Yes—I remember, three hundred years ago...an eclipse..." He flapped across the room to land on the Stone. "Of course, here, on the Stone...the priest was unprepared and he failed...but I have seen no sign of a second total eclipse, not so soon." He glanced back at her skeptically.

"Then we have time to prepare," Phoenix said, ignoring his look.

At the sound of wingbeats overhead, she glanced up to see the guard who Voxzaco had sent as a messenger along with three other bats. The guard returned to his post and the other three landed on the floor in front of Phoenix.

The first bat was tall, nearly Phoenix's height, with billowing black wings, dark gray fur, dark red hair, a beige mane, and yellow eyes. He radiated authority in such a way that Phoenix could only assume he was the king. The second bat was the same height, with similar fur, hair, and mane, but with deep purple wings and sharp green eyes, and he was much younger and more handsome than the first. His son, perhaps. The third bat was reddish-brown, slightly shorter than the other two but still strong-looking.

"This is King Camaxtli," Voxzaco said, "and his son, Prince Goth."

Phoenix swept into a bow. "Your Majesty...Your Highness." She straightened up and looked at the third bat. "And...?"

"Xocama, captain of the guard."

She nodded in acknowledgement and turned back to the king, ignoring the spike of pain that went through her head.

"Who are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Phoenix," she said again. "I come to tell you that soon there will be an eclipse—a chance to free Zotz."

"She is the reason I sent for you, my king," said Voxzaco from atop the Stone. Then, warily, "She says she has come from the Underworld. And it's no lie—look at her teeth."

Phoenix pulled back her lips to show them. She didn't particularly appreciate being examined like this, but at this point she had something to prove.

"Stained black," remarked King Camaxtli.

Voxzaco shook his head. "No."

King Camaxtli frowned at him. "Then what?"

"They're stone," said Phoenix. "A gift from Zotz. I received them when I died."

"Died," he repeated. "And yet you are here."

"She speaks the truth, Your Majesty," said Voxzaco. "I have seen this on the Stone—rising from the dead. It has happened in the past. Very rarely, but it has."

The king nodded slowly. "An eclipse," he said, looking back at Phoenix.

"The sun creates a barrier between the Underworld and the Upper World," she said. "To destroy the sun is to destroy that barrier and allow Cama Zotz to reign above as well as below. The coming eclipse will give us the chance to kill the sun, the first in three hundred years."

"Kill the sun," the king repeated. "How?"

"In my time, we attempted a ritual to give Zotz a hundred hearts within the eclipse." She paused as another, fiercer bolt of pain stabbed through her head, then dulled to a throb. What was wrong with her? "There may be another way, but none that I am aware of."

All bats in the room turned to look at Voxzaco. The priest coughed and said, "That is on the Stone, killing the sun. The Stone gives no sense of when it will happen, but that it will is prophesied." His cloudy purple eyes flicked to Phoenix, then back to the king. "However...I have my doubts about her."

Phoenix whirled to face the old bat, clenching her jaw tightly to stop herself from snarling at him—he _was_ the high priest, and that required she treat him respectfully, no matter that twenty years of service to Zotz had nothing on three hundred.

"I do not doubt that she has been sent here by Zotz," continued Voxzaco, ignoring Phoenix herself, "but I have seen nothing on the Stone that would indicate a total eclipse."

King Camaxtli was silent for a moment, thinking, before fixing him with a harsh yellow glare. "Then find it."

Voxzaco stared back at the king, muscles in his jaw working, indignant at the swift dismissal. Eventually, he said, "Certainly, Your Majesty." As he turned away to begin searching the Stone, Phoenix saw the prince repressing an amused grin. She found herself smiling back at him despite the fact that it hurt to even keep her eyes open.

The king tilted his head slightly. "You should rest," he said to her. She had to blink rapidly to keep him in focus.

She gave a curt bow. "Of course."

She stepped back and started to open her wings when he asked, "You're a soldier?"

Phoenix blinked again, surprised by the question. "Yes, Your Majesty. A warrior."

He nodded, and then no one said anything more, so she spread her wings and flew up through the portal in the ceiling. She drifted down the pyramid to the passage where most Vampyrum roosted. She entered and roosted immediately in a spot that didn't look like it had been occupied recently. Very few bats were inside the pyramid at that time of night.

Phoenix shut her eyes and fell asleep in seconds.

* * *

A bat roosted in a thick tangle of branches and vines that almost completely blocked the moonlight out. Several other bats were gathered as well, eying the newcomer—a Vampyrum—with suspicion. The other bats were all Chrotopterus Auritus, who looked similar to Vampyrum but were smaller and had thicker fur and shorter snouts. Among them was Ichtaca, watching the Vampyrum warily. _He may not be loyal to Camaxtli,_ Ichtaca thought, _but that doesn't mean he thinks of us as equals._ A lifetime of differences didn't lend well to an alliance.

"You better have a reason for coming here," said Kratos. Ichtaca could only see his eyes in the darkness. "And make it a good one."

The Vampyrum was breathing hard from his hurried flight. "There's going to be an eclipse," he panted. "The priest wants to...to kill the sun. I don't know how it works, but I don't doubt that something's going to happen. Another Vampyrum came to the pyramid, someone I've never seen, with strange black teeth…. She told the priest to make a hundred sacrifices during the eclipse. To kill the sun."

Kratos was silent for a moment. "They're mad," he said eventually. "There's no way."

Ichtaca wasn't so sure. As far as he knew, Kratos had never been to the pyramid itself. Neither had Ichtaca, for that matter, but his mate—Estrella—worked there as a servant. She'd seen the high priest, the sacrifices. Many things happened there that shouldn't be possible.

"Oh, there's a way," said the Vampyrum. "It might not make sense, but something's going to happen. You don't survive in that pyramid without knowing what the Vampyrum are capable of and willing to do. Make no mistake: if they follow through, not just the sun but the world will die."

All was silent but for the buzzing of insects.

"What are you suggesting?" asked another Chrotopterus.

Kratos answered before the Vampyrum could: "If the Vampyrum are planning something like that, we may have no choice but to fight."

The assembled bats erupted into protests.

"We're nowhere _near_ strong enough to do that!" Ichtaca said.

"They outnumber us a hundred to one—at the very least!"

"They'll slaughter every last one of us!"

"We're not ready. They'll tear us to pieces!"

"Silence!" Kratos hissed. "You'll draw attention to us." Once everyone had quieted, he said, "It's not just this new plot of theirs. We've all been hurt by the Vampyrum. We're nothing to them, nothing but slaves and servants."

Vampyrum law didn't apply to other species; any bat that didn't serve the Vampyrum was fair game as prey, including Chrotopterus. That's why Estrella was a servant at the pyramid—it was dangerous, to be sure, but at least she wouldn't be eaten.

Well...that and the possibility of espionage.

"It's why we're all here—we want to strike back, to end their rule," Kratos continued. "We've been hiding and planning for long enough. It's all for naught if we don't act. And if they intend to kill the sun, we have to act soon."

"How?" Ichtaca asked. "How many of us are here, twenty? We have plans, but not the bats to carry them out. The Vampyrum number millions. They have an organized military and a stronghold to defend from. I want to fight back as much as anyone here, but we can't face them in battle."

The Vampyrum spoke up again. "I'm not the only Vampyrum opposed to Camaxtli's rule. Once word gets out about the eclipse, it could very well be the tipping point. I'll start looking for bats who might support our cause."

 _More Vampyrum?_ Ichtaca thought, unnerved by the prospect. _Definitely a risky move, but we need more bats. We won't stand a chance without them._

"Kratos is right," said another Chrotopterus. "We've lived like this for too long. Things need to change and soon—if we wait much longer we'll all be dead."

No one said anything for a while. They had been waiting and planning for months, if not years. And that was just the bats present that night—Ichtaca was sure that thoughts of rebellion had been considered ever since the Vampyrum had first seized power. They'd held onto it for as long as anyone could remember.

Ichtaca had been waiting for a long time, too. Every bat here was here for one reason—to rebel.

"Allow me a few weeks," the Vampyrum said to Kratos. "I'll find you bats willing to fight."

* * *

It was dark by the time Phoenix woke up. The pyramid was already nearly empty, as it had been when she'd fallen asleep. She'd slept late.

She laughed quietly. _I suppose that's what happens when you don't sleep for a few centuries._

Phoenix flared her wings wide and dropped from her roost. Once outside, she swooped past the temple, but it was deserted. She shifted direction and flew into the jungle. She needed to find something to eat.

Listening carefully, she eventually caught the sound of a small animal climbing along a branch. It had taken much longer than she thought it would—the Upper World was noisy; it was difficult to pick out individual sounds from the ceaseless cacophony without being used to it.

She roosted silently on a branch just above the rodent, a rat, which was now visible in her echo vision. It didn't notice her as it paused to sniff at something. One second, two—

Phoenix leapt at it, enclosing it in her wings so that it couldn't move, then killed it with two quick bites to the neck. She flipped upside down and ate it.

As she cleaned the blood from her muzzle, a bat flew up in front of her. She recognized him in a second: Prince Goth.

"I am leading a patrol this evening," he said. "Would you join us? I imagine the jungle has changed over time."

She took to the air and smiled politely. "Of course, Your Highness," she replied, then glanced up at the canopy, her smile fading. "It has."

They flew through the warm night along with the six soldiers also in the patrol. Prince Goth was right—the jungle had changed very much. The tallest trees had fallen, new ones sprung up.

For a moment, Phoenix thought she felt eyes watching her and twisted around, hovering. She scanned the branches behind her, but neither saw nor heard anything unusual. _Must be that I'm not used to being in a place as crowded as the jungle._ She shook her head and continued on with the patrol.

They reached the border of the jungle long before Phoenix expected them to. She reared back at the sudden absence of trees. All that remained were stumps, broken branches, and buttress roots. There was no life here. And this was new; three hundred years ago, this place had been all trees. She hadn't just lost track of time as she flew—the jungle was _smaller._

"What caused this?" she asked as the eight bats hovered at the edge of the jungle, staring at the barren waste.

"Humans," said a soldier. "They've been encroaching on the jungle for as long as anyone can remember, taking trees and building settlements. They have villages all around it, and a city to the east."

Sure enough, Phoenix noticed several metal contraptions, some with slabs of wood stacked atop them, others equipped with hooked appendages. They were unfamiliar to her, but surely only Humans would use such machines.

Humans, _here…_. In her time, they had cut down trees, but never on this scale. The jungle wasn't theirs; they had no right to it. Things had indeed changed.

"We move on," said the prince.

Phoenix and the guards followed him back into the jungle.

From the safety of the trees, they moved around the jungle's border. Phoenix caught glimpses of the villages that the soldier had mentioned, but it was late enough at night that no Humans were awake. The only movements in them were those of insects and a few Bloodwings.

"The Humans have become a larger concern," she said as the patrol turned back toward the pyramid.

Prince Goth nodded. "They have. From what we've seen, they have not intruded deep enough into the jungle to be a direct threat, but with time they will be." He frowned. "Do you imagine they will interfere with the ritual you spoke of?"

Phoenix shook her head. "They shouldn't cause much trouble as long as they don't drive away prey. The only concern regarding it I have is whether Voxzaco will find when the eclipse will occur in time. Itztli, the priest three hundred years ago, did not until mere hours beforehand. We cannot afford such a mistake a second time."

"If Voxzaco is incapable, there are lesser priests who can assist him," said Prince Goth. "And...he may be the high priest, but failure is not tolerated."

Phoenix dipped her head in agreement. "I share the sentiment."

 **To be clear, the Vampyrum _are_ the villains, but a lot of this story will be from their point of view.**


	3. The First Strike

When Ichtaca had told her of a newcomer with strange black teeth, Estrella had been expecting a decrepit old bat, teeth stained black from chewing herbs—not this razor-toothed demon who reminded her more of the prince than the priest. Even for a Vampyrum, she was tall and strong, towering over most, perhaps all, of the bats at the pyramid. Estrella had noticed her immediately, not by her teeth but by her sheer presence.

Estrella did not particularly want to stick around to gather more information, if indeed this bat was anything like the prince, but she'd survived in this pyramid all these years, and she hadn't joined the rebellion because she was a coward.

The Vampyrum newcomer and the prince had returned from a border patrol a few minutes ago and were speaking with one another in the royal chamber. Carefully, as to not draw attention to herself, Estrella fluttered inside after them and began to clean moss from a carving on the wall.

* * *

"What do you know about the Stone?" Goth asked, hovering over it. He had never paid much attention to it, mainly because Voxzaco was often studying it and he made a point to avoid the old bat. But in light of recent news, he realized he should understand more about it. Its carvings depicted bats, birds, beasts, constellations—but he couldn't make sense of any of them.

Phoenix was silent a moment before answering. "About as much as any bat," she said. "It foretells the future. One can speak with Zotz by spilling blood here." She frowned. "I can't read it, if that's what you're asking."

Goth only grunted in response. When Phoenix had arrived the night before, he had first thought that both she and Voxzaco were mad—to think, _kill the sun!_ But his father had seemed to find it plausible, and his father had always been a wise king. And repellant as the old priest was, the king regarded him as a trustworthy adviser.

"Last night, you said the sun created a barrier between the two worlds," Goth said. "What do you mean by that?"

"There...was another god," Phoenix said haltingly. "Lord Zotz's twin sister, Nocturna. Thousands of years ago, she trapped him in the Underworld, afraid of his power."

"Impossible!" Goth snarled. The idea of a rival to Zotz, one that could create a barrier between worlds—it was unthinkable! "She cannot be more powerful than Zotz!"

"And she is not," Phoenix snapped. "She used the sun's power to trap him below, not her own. Zotz killed her in retribution but the sun's magic still holds. During the eclipse, the sun's power will wane, and if Zotz is given one hundred lives he shall rise and destroy it."

Goth bristled at her tone, though her words filled in many of the details that had been missing last night. "How do you know this?"

She smirked. "I learned a lot in the Underworld," she said, "but I think much of what I said can be found on the Stone." She nodded at the carvings below. "In the meantime, I need to hunt again tonight, so I'll be taking my leave now. Your Highness." With a shallow bow of her head, she left the temple.

Goth watched her leave. He didn't quite know what to make of her. She had returned to the pyramid after a supposed three hundred years of absence and showed the bare minimum of respect, acting as if she were only one step down from royalty. However, she did claim to be a warrior, and both Goth's father and Voxzaco seemed to accept her words as truth—the eclipse, her history.

And...well, she had risen from the dead. It was a given that that was the strangest thing of all.

* * *

A rapid flutter of movement at the staircase as the newcomer departed caught Estrella's attention. She spun to see a Chrotopterus sweeping out of sight.

He'd been listening from the stairwell. And from the glimpse she'd gotten of him, he was not someone she recognized as a member of Kratos's rebellion.

Quietly, she took to the air and followed him.

She stayed a reasonable distance behind him until he was perhaps a hundred feet into the jungle and she could tell that he was definitely trailing the newcomer. She quickened her wingstrokes until she flew beside him.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. "Following her? If a Vampyrum sees you you could be marked!" Every servant of the Vampyrum was scarred once, a long slash across the back, to brand their rank. After that, suspicious or disrespectful behavior was rewarded by another cut—and after three marks, a servant would be killed and eaten. In all her years at the pyramid, Estrella had earned one mark. She'd since learned to keep her head down.

The other Chrotopterus already had two marks.

He fixed her with a glare. "You heard what they said in there!" he snarled. "A hundred lives to destroy the sun! I am _not_ going to let that happen. So if you're not going to help me, _get out of my way."_

Estrella gasped as she realized what he meant to do—he was going to try and kill Zotz's messenger. "No!" she hissed. "Alone? Haven't you seen her? You don't stand a chance!"

"Don't I? As I said before: either help me, or leave."

She took a deep breath. "There's a group of bats who want the same thing you do. _Wait._ If you act now you'll be killed. Join us and you'll have a chance. Not just against her, but every Vampyrum—"

He slammed into her, cutting her off and knocking her into a tree trunk. She cried out in surprise, then steeled herself and bared her teeth, snapping at the other bat.

But he didn't try to bite her. "I can't wait that long. There's no telling when that eclipse is—and if they kill the sun, they kill us all. I'll take my chances with that black-toothed demon. As for you— _stay out of my way!"_

He released her and pushed himself away to continue after the messenger from the Underworld. Estrella caught the air and hovered in place, shaken. This bat...there was no reasoning with him. Estrella was surprised that he'd lasted in the pyramid for any time at all, rash and heedless as he was.

She grimaced. Even if he wasn't part of the rebellion proper, if he attacked that Vampyrum newcomer, bats would be suspicious. _Camaxtli_ could grow suspicious. If that happened...she wasn't sure many would have the courage to incite a rebellion the king was expecting.

She turned to fly back to the pyramid. She wasn't going to be caught anywhere near whatever chaos the attack on Zotz's messenger would bring.

* * *

Phoenix roosted in a kapok tree to wait for prey. In the past few hours, she'd noticed that many of her senses had been dulled, chief among them smell. A dead bat couldn't smell, and the Underworld's sonic illusions had no scent.

This proved to make hunting more difficult than it should be. A nearby clump of flowers and something rotting on the ground kept drawing her attention. Useless. Silent as she was, she couldn't pick up any rodents or birds nearby, and the only bats she could scent were Vampyrum and Chrotopterus. She wondered if anyone would miss a single servant.

A weight struck her from behind and claws dug into her shoulders, jarring her from her roost. Phoenix and her attacker crashed into a branch below. She twisted around as far as she could, striking the bat full in the face and causing his grip to loosen. He lunged at her again, but she punched out with a furled wing and caught him in the throat. His teeth snapped on empty air and he was left gasping on the bough, but was still able to roll out of the way when Phoenix slashed at him. He hissed and leapt at her, apparently not expecting her to lash out as he did. She thrust his wings aside with her own, then quickly knocked his head away and sank her teeth into his throat, clamping down for a few seconds before releasing him.

He choked on blood and fell dead in seconds.

As Phoenix stood up, she became aware of several Vampyrum roosting on nearby trees as they erupted into shocked chatter.

" _¡Asesina!"_ one cried.

"She—she just killed him!"

"No! Isn't she the royal guest?"

" _¿Quién está muerto?"_

"What just happened?"

" _Cálmate_ , it's just a servant."

"Didn't you see him attack her? She's well within her rights to kill him."

Without a word in response, Phoenix looked at her attacker more closely. He wasn't a Vampyrum, as she had first thought, but a Chrotopterus—slightly smaller, with a shorter snout and thicker fur. A servant's scar slashed across his back. She didn't recognize him. A bat—and a Chrotopterus servant at that!—she'd never met, daring to attack her….

She grasped the dead bat's shoulders and heaved the body into the air. It was heavy, but not that much heavier than prey. She whirled to fly towards the pyramid.

Someone was trying to kill her.

* * *

Piles of leaves, seeds, bark, and mushrooms littered Voxzaco's chamber. The strong but familiar taste of jícaro and mushroom coated his mouth as he chewed the plants, the carrion stench of jícaro filling his nostrils. He'd long since become desensitized to it.

He grunted and braced himself against a cold stone wall as his heart began to beat frantically. His lungs seared as his breath quickened, but he had no cause to worry. Despite his age, the vision-inducing potions he took had no adverse effects on his health that he was aware of.

He had fasted since Phoenix had arrived the night before to help loosen his soul from his living body, and this potion would finish the job so that he could speak with Zotz. The farther one was from life, the better they could speak with the lord of the dead.

The colony's chatter and the sounds of the outside jungle grew muffled, then faded into silence. Voxzaco's vision flared black before paling to gray.

Blazing black slits of eyes opened in the darkness. Voxzaco's body was paralyzed; only his mind could move.

"Voxzaco," said the god. "You want to speak with me a single night after I send a messenger to you. What could be so urgent?"

"My Lord." Voxzaco would have knelt if he could. "She is the very reason I sought to speak to you. She claims that you have sent her from the Underworld itself and that soon there shall be a total eclipse of the sun."

"She speaks the truth."

"M-my Lord, if it would not be impudent, I would ask—why send a messenger when you could simply inform me of this news?"

The very air vibrated with laughter. "Voxzaco...my voice cannot remain in the Upper World long enough to guide you every wingbeat of the way. Phoenix has served me faithfully for centuries and is knowledgeable about the ritual. Listen to her."

"Yes, Lord Zotz," said Voxzaco after a heartbeat of hesitation. He knew that Phoenix's obsidian teeth signified that she was a valuable servant of Zotz's, but as the high priest, being ignored in her favor stung.

"And remember…you are not my only servant."

Voxzaco woke gasping and drenched in sweat. He'd fallen to the floor during his vision. Shaking from the potion's after-effects, he crawled over to a water-filled hollow in the corner of his chamber and drank, washing the thick, choking mixture from his mouth.

All that to be told he wasn't important enough to be contacted directly and should defer to arrogant Phoenix.

* * *

Phoenix dropped the would-be assassin's body on the steps of the pyramid with a thud. She landed beside it and looked up the vine-covered steps at King Camaxtli.

"I hope you have a good reason for killing one of my servants," said the king.

She prodded the corpse with a clawed foot to gesture to his scars. "It's his third offense," she said. "And more than that, he attempted to kill me."

Again, bats' alarmed jabber filled the air. Phoenix ignored them and held the king's gaze. The captain of the guard, Xocama, swooped in to stand a few steps below King Camaxtli.

"Did he now," muttered the king. He narrowed his eyes to study the body. "Then I suppose his death is lawful," he said to Phoenix. "If you hadn't killed him, one of the guards would have."

Xocama spoke up. "You didn't think to keep him alive?" he asked Phoenix. "To figure out _why_ he attacked you?"

She frowned. That would have been prudent, but she didn't appreciate Xocama's tone. "I was focused on not dying a second time, thank you," she said tightly.

"At least we know he was acting alone."

Phoenix and Xocama looked up to see Prince Goth flying from the royal chamber. Phoenix sketched out a bow as he landed near them, as did Xocama.

King Camaxtli glanced at him. "Do we?"

"He had no chance alone, yet he took it," said Prince Goth. "He was desperate. Were he in league with others, I imagine Phoenix would have been attacked by a group."

The prince was right. At a glance, it was clear that the scrawny Chrotopterus was no match for a warrior of the likes of Phoenix.

"However, it has been only a night since your arrival," King Camaxtli said to Phoenix. "His motives were likely linked to the message you brought, and when other bats hear of it, some may be of a like mind. For now, all bats present should be more vigilant. If there are others like this traitor, we may all be targets. Xocama! Alert the guards. See what they can do to find those that may be involved."

* * *

"He _what?_ " Ichtaca dug his claws deep into the wood of the tree he stood on and clenched his teeth. "What could he have been _thinking?_ Did he even understand the _risk_ he was putting all of us at? Now Camaxtli's expecting something—and you said he's searching for suspected rebels?"

Estrella nodded. "Almost. He doesn't know that we're organized on this level, that there's a rebel force. But he's ordered his guards to find possible... _traitors._ " Her face twisted into a disdainful sneer. "As if we could be traitors when we've never given him our loyalty in the first place." She glanced at the sky, now a pale gray. "It's getting late. I'll tell Kratos tomorrow night."

"Kratos?" Ichtaca's heart sank. "You're still…" He shook his head. "You're not going to return to the pyramid, are you?"

Estrella's expression hardened. "I am. Whatever else has happened, Camaxtli's reign has to end, and I will help the rebellion however I can. I've known for the past six years the risk I've been putting myself at spying at the pyramid."

"But now Vampyrum are searching for you! This isn't just because of the bat from tonight—don't you remember Kalán? What happened to him?"

Estrella frowned. "Everyone remembers Kalán. I think he was a good bat. Strange, certainly, for a Vampyrum, but good."

"And Camaxtli had him killed!" hissed Ichtaca. "He was the queen's brother and they had him killed! And that bat from tonight—you said that Phoenix killed him in _seconds._ They'll slaughter us, Estrella. You know that."

She shook her head. "Yes, I know the risks. But you've been to Kratos's gatherings. We'll only attack groups of Vampyrum we outnumber. Phantom is trying to raise an army. And tonight—that bat was reckless, desperate. I couldn't reason with him. The rest of us will be more careful." She peered more closely at him, concern softening her eyes. "Are you all right? You've always been as ready as any of us. What happened?"

Ichtaca grimaced. "It's all well and good in theory—overthrowing the Vampyrum, claiming our freedom. But now that the fight is at hand…." He sighed. "Tell me, what will happen to Iktal if we die?"

Their son wasn't quite a year old and still lived with them. Ichtaca knew he was a brave young bat but couldn't help but worry for him. He couldn't leave his son without parents.

Estrella fell silent, staring at her claws. "We're not going to die," she said after a long while. "We're going to make this jungle a safer place for him."

* * *

Harpy roosted deep in the jungle, far from the pyramid. She turned the information over in her mind.

 _A servant tried to assassinate a Vampyrum named Phoenix, a messenger of Zotz,_ her informant had said. _It's my belief that he was acting to prevent a plot of hers that it's possible the king is involved in. I'm not sure what this plot is, milady, but from what happened tonight, the servants are gaining courage. With any luck, other Vampyrum will recognize their lord's tyranny as well._

And best of all— _Camaxtli also said that he and his son may be targets as well._

Attacking a messenger of Zotz….

Harpy smiled. Bats of a similar mind might be persuaded to fight against King Camaxtli himself.

 **Huh, that turned into a bunch of short scenes. Oh well. I hope it makes sense.**


	4. The Inquisition

**Apologies for the long wait! I was stuck on the first two scenes for ages. I'll try to be faster with the next update.**

 **Anyway, on to the story!**

The next night, Voxzaco found the solar eclipse prophesied on the Stone.

Phoenix, Prince Goth, King Camaxtli, and a handful of minor priests gathered in the temple to hear Voxzaco's words. Personally, Phoenix hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly.

She glanced at the carvings on the Stone and the bloodstains encrusting them, unnerved by the blood for the first time when she realized that some of it was her own. She hadn't given it much thought the last couple times she had been in this room, but she was standing in the very place she had died. Her heartbeat suddenly seemed very loud.

Voxzaco's raspy voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

"Here," he said, laying a gnarled claw on a perfect circle ringed by triangular spikes. "The sun, as it is now." He spiraled in closer to the center, tapping several carvings of the sun as he went, which had a larger slice missing with each depiction. "But it will grow weaker. And finally" —he scuttled closer still to the center of the Stone and pointed to what was unmistakably Zotz's eye, replacing the sun— "the total eclipse in the midst of day." After the eye, the very center of the Stone was an empty gap, the shadows gathering in it deeper than they had reason to be. Voxzaco trembled with excitement, rubbing at a patch of bare, blistering skin on his forearm.

Phoenix leaned in closer to look at Zotz's eye and the missing center of the Stone. _That does look promising._

"We know about the eclipse," said Prince Goth, crossing his arms. "You claimed that you had discovered when it is to occur."

Voxzaco scowled at him. "Yes, yes, of course." He gestured to patterns of jagged lines that curled alongside the spiral of shrinking suns. "The sun will remain for several more months, until near the end of the wet season. But then...then not only will it vanish—it will vanish on the longest night of the year!"

Phoenix narrowed her eyes at the carvings on the Stone, trying to figure out how Voxzaco could tell all that from such an arbitrary-looking assortment of curves and zigzags and dots. She could make no sense of it—except perhaps there, shortly before the eye, could those be flames? _No matter; that shouldn't be for several months._

"The longest night of the year," mused King Camaxtli. "The shortest day. There is power in that."

"A good omen," Voxzaco agreed.

"Indeed," Phoenix muttered. But that long…. She looked up through the circular portal in the ceiling at the clear, starry sky. It would be a good eight months before the longest night of the year. She gritted her teeth. What was she going to do with _eight months?_ It was too early to capture sacrifices—they'd likely die within a few weeks, long before the eclipse.

" _Months!"_ she hissed, then realized that the other bats present were staring at her.

"My apologies," said Phoenix, trying to force a smile though she was sure it came out as more of a grimace. "But I'm here to oversee the ritual, not laze about for months on end. I can wait, of course, but what do you expect me to do in the world of the living?"

"All is under control," Voxzaco said, too-large eyes narrowed irritably. "You might train as a soldier if you feel you're needed."

Involuntarily, Phoenix's lips drew back to bare her teeth. "Is that all you think I am, a lackey?" she snapped. "I have been so much more than that for _centuries_. I was chosen by Zotz not only as one of his elite, but as the only bat worthy to reclaim life. I am more than a common soldier, and let me tell you, _viejo,_ that I did not return to this world to be disregarded."

Voxzaco didn't so much as flinch. "You think very highly of yourself."

Glowering, Phoenix took a step closer. She towered over the old priest. "I've earned the right."

"Stand down." Xocama, never far from the king's side, clamped a restraining hand on Phoenix's shoulder. Phoenix, unaccustomed to physical contact, instinctively lashed out to knock him away. He stumbled back a step but didn't fall.

"Stay out of this!" she hissed. "I don't answer to you."

"But _I_ answer to the king," said Xocama, "and under his laws, no bat lays a claw on a priest of Zotz."

"I don't intend to lay a claw on him. I'm simply giving myself a proper introduction." She smirked toothily.

"Then stand down!"

Phoenix let out a harsh laugh. "Do I have to tell you again? I do not answer to either you or Voxzaco! I have the power to do as I please, and I will ensure that everyone knows that."

Xocama snarled and lunged. The second he moved, Phoenix was there to meet him, gripping his arm in her claws. She urged the stone at her feet to rise up and ensnare him, trapping him in a stone shell for his disrespect—  
The earth didn't so much as shudder. Xocama clapped his free hand against his ear as he eyed her with suspicion. "What was that?" he demanded, his brows drawing together.

Zotz had granted her the ability to imprison the traitorous dead in stone to ensure that they remained in the Underworld, but that had been Zotz's power, not her own. Of course this 'power' of hers wouldn't work in the Upper World. At most, it might leave a ringing in the ears. It was nothing more than a sonic illusion, only solid in her god's realm.

From a step behind her, Prince Goth seized her wrist and, to her shock, broke her grip on Xocama. She wrested her arm away, glaring. "Get your claws off—"

"Enough of this!" barked King Camaxtli. Every bat's attention was immediately drawn to him. "This brings us nowhere." His gaze shifted to Phoenix. "Now tell me...what exactly _are_ you?"

Phoenix smiled proudly and lifted her head. "I'm Zotz's huntress. In the Underworld, I would track down traitors that defied Zotz. I could turn them to stone." After the first few Pilgrims she had hunted down, Zotz had granted her that ability so that she didn't need to summon him every time she caught a deserter. "I believe they called me a demon."

"Then you can continue hunting down traitors—traitors to the colony and crown."

"The servant who attacked me," Phoenix said. She remembered the king's theory that there could be others with the same intentions, and that Phoenix may not be the only target. "Of course. I'll find any others involved and bring them back for questioning."

"Good," said the king. "I have already had some guards look into it, but I want a force dedicated to rooting them out. Xocama will send some guards to accompany you."

"Alejandra and Cerberus," said Xocama after a moment of consideration. "They are loyal warriors of the royal guard. I trust they'll be suitable to the task at hand."

"They should be." _Anyone in the royal guard should certainly be capable of tracking down traitors._

Xocama's eyes flicked to a guard roosting on the ceiling. "Find them," he ordered. "Have them meet our new...inquisitor...on the pyramid steps."

"I'll start immediately, Majesty," said Phoenix. King Camaxtli nodded in satisfaction, and with a shallow bow Phoenix departed.

* * *

"Goth," said his father as the lesser priests began to leave the chamber, "you will also join this inquisition. Not only are you a cunning warrior, but I want someone to...keep an eye on Phoenix. Keep her in line."

"Of course," said Goth, concealing his surprise at his father's offhand compliment. He agreed with the assessment. While he believed Phoenix's words—or at least that she was a warrior and sent by Zotz—he couldn't yet judge how much of her arrogance was justified, or what might come of it. Striking Xocama and disrespecting Voxzaco...who knew what that might lead to. As much as Goth disliked the old priest—and, by some small amount, found Phoenix's regard of him amusing—he knew his father found it concerning that Phoenix would treat those of importance with scorn. Even if she eventually proved to be an authority in spiritual matters, she could not be allowed to treat, say, the prince or king, with such insolence.

Nothing yet suggested that she would. But it had always been Camaxtli's policy to be careful.

"Do you think that the assassin is a part of something larger?" It was uncommon but not unheard of for influential bats to be attacked—the royal guard existed for a reason, after all. Very rarely had the attackers been found to be a part of something larger than half a dozen bats. Always they had been crushed.

"I suspect it," said his father. "Never before have I seen a servant do something so openly rebellious. The odd Vampyrum has spoken out on their behalf, but I have never known them to _fight."_

'The odd Vampyrum' the king had spoken of, of course, referred mainly to Kalán, Goth's own uncle. The traitor had been silenced three years ago.

"It is possible that he was simply mad, but I don't like to take chances. Now go."

Phoenix stood on the steps of the pyramid, the two warriors Xocama had assigned beside her. Goth recognized them from the royal guard. They were both tall, Alejandra sturdy and with brown hair and orange wings, Cerberus lean and with black hair and dark blue wings.

The newly-named Inquisitor greeted him with a smile. "What brings you here, Your Highness?"

"I'm here to join your Inquisition," he answered. "I don't take treason lightly."

"Of course not," said Phoenix, her razor smile never dropping for a second. "Let's turn the cenote red with blood."

* * *

 _Let's turn the cenote red with blood._

The words replayed through Estrella's head throughout the night. There was only one thing that could mean. Sometimes, the Vampyrum would tear off a bat's wings and leave them to drown in a cenote near the pyramid. Execution by maiming and drowning was rare, reserved mainly for heretics. Since the king was supposedly ordained by Cama Zotz himself, there was a fine line between treason and heresy, so of course the new Inquisition would be searching for both traitors and heretics.

But it made Chrotopterus a double target as well. Naturally, the Vampyrum considered themselves Zotz's chosen species, and so Chrotopterus were supposedly lesser in his eyes as well—less important, less loyal. Vampyrum would likely be questioned too, but they'd have the advantage and were far more likely to be believed and let free.

Estrella ground her teeth. _How can the Vampyrum possibly consider themselves in the right?_ But she'd given up asking that a long time ago. They'd been lording over the jungle for centuries, and they weren't going to stop now unless forcibly defeated.

She soundly hoped that Phantom, that first Vampyrum in years to acknowledge his colony's tyranny and join Kratos's rebellion, was succeeding in drawing others to the cause.

She'd report to Kratos before sunrise, as soon as she was permitted to leave the pyramid.

* * *

"You," Phoenix said, halting a servant hurrying by with a raised claw. There wasn't anything inherently suspicious about his behavior, but Phoenix could still ask him if he'd seen or heard anything. It was a starting place.

The servant stiffened, hesitantly turning to face her. As he beheld her, Prince Goth, and the two guards, his eyes flew wide with fear and he dropped to his knees, bowing his head nearly to the stone floor.

"Milady!" he gasped. "My lord! I—I am at your service."

Phoenix felt a corner of her mouth twitch up. ' _Milady.' I like the sound of that._ She quickly composed her features and asked, "What have you heard about the possibility of traitors in this pyramid?"

She might have imagined his cringe. "Nothing, milady! Only rumors—I didn't think anyone would act on them."

"Didn't?" Prince Goth repeated from behind her. She heard him take a step forward. "Has your mind changed?"

The servant visibly gulped. "The...attacker from last night. I don't think anybody expected it. I've heard nothing about traitors—the attack came as a surprise to all of us."

"Hmm. Do you know his name?" Prince Goth continued.

"Yes, my lord," said the servant. "His name was Temotli."

"Does he have any relatives?"

"A brother, I think. I don't know his name."

"Is he a servant here?"

"I—I think he is, my lord. But I'm not sure."

Phoenix turned to Cerberus and Alejandra. "Find him. I'll search for other leads. Report back to me or Prince Goth."

A slight thrill went through Phoenix as they bowed to her before obeying.

* * *

" _They know about us?"_ Harpy demanded, clenching her teeth with fury. All this time planning, waiting to be sure Camaxtli had dismissed her as unthreatening, had all but forgotten her—and she'd been discovered, her _army_ and been discovered _,_ and now the tyrant king would send his own soldiers out to search for her and kill her, just as he'd done to her father.

"No, milady, I don't think so," said Ghoul, her informant. "From what I heard, they're focusing on the Chrotopterus. They said nothing about Vampyrum rebels. It seems to me they're searching for an organized Chrotopterus rebellion."

Harpy's brow creased. "A rebellion," she repeated, turning away from Ghoul to pace across the hollow in the tree she occupied, situated at the very border of Vampyrum territory. _An organized Chrotopterus rebellion_. She hadn't heard tell of the possibility since she was a child, since Camaxtli had killed her father. Her heart began to beat faster at the thought. She'd been right. There were servants who were willing to fight against their 'masters'—perhaps fight at Harpy's side.

"Yes…" she muttered, "yes!" A smile crept onto her face and she spun to speak to Ghoul again. "Find them! Find everything you can and come to me as soon as possible. We can unite our forces and finally strike against Camaxtli. I will go to them myself the moment I know where they are and together we shall end him!"

Ghoul dipped his head and disappeared in a flutter of wingbeats.

Harpy drew a deep breath. Three years ago, she had sworn to end Camaxtli's life and avenge her father. Now she was closer than ever.

* * *

"Where is everyone?" muttered a bat roosting near Estrella.

The meeting that night was somewhat smaller than usual—very few servants had risked it after the establishment of the Inquisition; it was mostly Chrotopterus that hid from the Vampyrum that attended. Ichtaca, though, had remained at the roost with Iktal.

"Camaxtli has implemented a force to expose spies at the pyramid," said Estrella, loud enough for the entire group to hear.

A bat gasped. "What gave him cause?"

"Mecatl's brother Temotli attacked a Vampyrum," said another rebel. "The self-proclaimed messenger of Zotz, no less."

"Phoenix. She's the one who's leading the Inquisition now."

A third bat furrowed his brow. "But Temotli never came here. Mecatl said he couldn't be trusted."

"Not because he'd sell us out, though," Estrella said. "Because he was too reckless. He wouldn't comply with a plan; he'd strike out desperately, like he did last night."

Some muttering. Then:

"Where _is_ Mecatl?"

Estrella's stomach tightened. Had the Inquisition caught him? Or was he simply staying away from the rebel meetings to divert suspicion from himself? Estrella hardly knew him, but a rebel's capture could spell disaster for the entire rebellion should he break under torture.

"I saw him a few hours ago…"

A responding scoff. "Anything could happen in _hours._ "

"He'll say nothing," insisted another bat. "If he's been captured, he'll say nothing, I'm certain."

"If we're found out, we need to strike soon," said Kratos. "Phantom—any news?"

Phantom, the lone Vampyrum in the group, nodded curtly. "I'm gaining a following. Several bats have already sworn to give us aid should we need it, though I don't want risk bringing them here." He hesitated for a fraction of a second. "I've also heard rumors. Rumors of a Vampyrum faction that opposes Camaxtli's rule."

More surprised chattering. Estrella had heard nothing of it. The occasional Vampyrum might grumble about harsh policies, or imply their disapproval about Camaxtli's methods for his rise to power (he had, after all, killed his two brothers and even his own mother to secure his kingship, though they were all legal challenges), but Estrella hadn't expected anything on the scale of an organized faction.

"From what I've heard," Phantom continued, "they've been operating for about three years, since Lord Kalán's death. Most of them must be his followers. The new Inquisition doesn't look like they know anything about it, at least not yet. They're solely targeting Chrotopterus."

"Then we still have an element of surprise left—you," said Kratos. "How many Vampyrum are set against the tyrant?"

"I've barely spoken to a dozen myself, but there must be well over two hundred. I'll investigate more tomorrow night."

Two hundred Vampyrum fighters, set against Camaxtli. Estrella stared. She'd hardly dared hope that there might be Vampyrum willing to strike against their tyrant king, who claimed, as all his line did, that he was ordained by Cama Zotz. Most of the rebels didn't believe that, of course, and Estrella supposed that there must be Vampyrum who didn't either. Perhaps the rebel Vampyrum considered Camaxtli to have stolen the crown from a rightful heir, possibly his brother Kianto, who had been the firstborn and who Camaxtli had challenged and killed for the throne. If they were indeed Kalán's followers, maybe they'd wanted him on the throne, but he was dead now. Briefly Estrella wondered if he had any living relatives. She didn't think so.

"I want to meet with the leader of this Vampyrum faction," Kratos said, face pinched in thought. "I want to see if they really can be of use to us."

 **Thoughts, questions, concerns? What do/don't you like? Any guesses about who Harpy is? About anything else? Constructive criticism/feedback means the world to me~**

 **Until next time!**


	5. The Second Heir

**This story is actually sort of a "concept draft" for an original story that I am writing (learn more on my tumblr dragonauthor if you want!), so I will be focusing on Getting It Written rather than meticulously editing everything. That's what the real drafts are for. As a result, I feel like some of the interactions in this chapter are a little stilted or brushed over, but again...this is just a fanfic version of a story I'm still working on plotting out.**

Mecatl had indeed been captured.

The following night, the Inquisition, along with a number of soldiers, forced the Chrotopterus servants to assemble in the trees surrounding the cenote, Estrella among them. An outcropping of stone jutted out a few feet over the cenote. On a raised portion stood Camaxtli himself, beside him Prince Goth; closer to the tip stood Phoenix the Inquisitor General and her lackeys.

At their feet, Mecatl knelt bleeding. His wings had been slashed, and lacerations covered his body. One ear had been torn off and blood trickled down the side of his head and from his mouth. Even from a distance, Estrella could see that his every breath was a shuddering gasp.

Molten fury churned in her core at the sight of the Inquisitors' and royals' triumphant, satisfied expressions. How could they be _proud_ to torture someone who only dared to hope for a better life? She fought to keep her face neutral. There were soldiers watching.

The spectacle had drawn a large crowd of Vampyrum as well. While the Chrotopterus waited in grim silence, the Vampyrum chattered excitedly. Nothing like a public execution to cheer up those barbaric cannibals.

Phoenix stepped forward and raised her voice to address the crowd. The jabbering quieted.

"This bat is a rebel and a spy, part of a Chrotopterus conspiracy to destroy the entire colony!" she announced. Gasps echoed over the cenote. "Two nights ago, they began to send assassins after Vampyrum. These dangerous insurgents have been plotting against the crown and colony, but through the king's wisdom, they have been discovered and will be hunted down and eliminated in defense of the colony. Every one of them is nothing but a bloodthirsty heretic who seeks the downfall of loyal Vampyrum, in defiance of not only the king but of Lord Zotz himself. The rebel you see before you, Mecatl, has confessed to treason and heresy. He will be put to death."

Phoenix stepped back, calm, composed, victorious. The bitter edge of sickness ate at Estrella's heart.

"This night marks the first in a time dedicated to establishing security in my kingdom," said Camaxtli. "Traitors will be located and executed, as will be unrepentant heretics. I have created an Inquisition, led by Inquisitor General Phoenix and Prince Goth, whose efforts will be dedicated to the task. The protection of the colony is paramount."

Cheers from the Vampyrum, a dread-filled silence among the Chrotopterus.

To the Inquisitors, the king said, "Kill the traitor."

The guards hauled Mecatl to his feet, eliciting a muffled grunt of pain. He tried to snap at them but was too weak, and most of his teeth were missing.

Phoenix dug her claws deep into Mecatl's shoulder, slicing into the ligaments in the joint. Mecatl let out a roar and thrashed, worsening the damage to his shoulder, and in a matter of seconds Phoenix had worked through the joint and remaining muscle. With a slash of her claws, she severed the patagium connecting his wing to his body, and the limb fell into the cenote. He stopped moving after that, even when Phoenix hacked off his other wing. Estrella couldn't tell if he was still alive when the guards tossed him into the water.

If he was, he drowned quietly. Red clouds billowed in the water around him.

Phoenix whirled on the Chrotopterus servants. "Let this be a warning to all of you!" she bellowed. "All traitors will share his fate! Come forth if you have information, and you will be spared the harshest penalties. Any bat found to have knowledge of the rebellion who does not come forward will be dealt with as if they are rebels themselves. This is the price of treachery!" She opened her wings to gesture to Mecatl's corpse. "Now is your chance to denounce the traitors among you. You have two nights before you are hunted down one by one."

She and her guards launched themselves into the air amid the cheers of who couldn't be anyone but the most fanatical of Vampyrum.

Estrella felt she might be sick, not from the sight of Mecatl's gruesome death, but from how _pleased_ the Vampyrum were about it. That they gloried in the spilt blood of brave bats trying to change the world for the better….

Estrella would have gladly torn the lot of them to pieces as mercilessly as they tore apart her people.

She trembled with fury.

 _Some of them are on our side,_ she reminded herself. _Some of them hate their king, their ways, nearly as much as I do. Once we join with that force, we're going to strike back._

 _We're going to strike soon._

* * *

It didn't take long to get answers. The spectacle that evening had frightened many of the Chrotopterus, One servant gave her brother-in-law's name, another his cousin's. Over the course of the night, the Inquisitors located eight bats in total, including two given up by a prisoner. Alejandra and Cerberus captured the accused and brought them to the cells in the bone room to be questioned. Eventually, Prince Goth took on the role of delegation, and Phoenix that of interrogation.

The bat who had been given up by his sister-in-law stood in a cell, untouched but clearly shaken by the suddenness and brutality of his arrest. Phoenix faced him, Cerberus a few steps behind her. The accused, Tecoyo, kept his head bowed and his eyes lowered to the ground.

"You have been exposed as a traitor," Phoenix said. "Confess now and give up all you know of the rebel force."

"I'm not a traitor," whispered Tecoyo, an edge of panic slipping into his voice. "I've done nothing wrong, I swear to you."

Phoenix circled around him and traced a claw over the scars on his back. "It seems to me that you have," she said. "Two marks. What are they for?"

"The first because I misunderstood an order." He swallowed. "The second for...being hesitant."

"To obey."

Tecoyo's voice was hoarse. "Yes, milady."

"So you've shown disrespect for our laws."

"No! I was simply...startled. I—I was asked to kill a bat, as a meal for an older Vampyrum who had difficulty hunting."

Phoenix narrowed her eyes, not seeing why that would have caused a servant to refuse an order. "And that was a problem for you?"

Tecoyo was silent, eyes skittering frantically across the gouged stone floor as if searching for a way out.

A shallow warning cut on his shoulder. "Answer me."

"I'm not a cannibal," he hissed. "I wouldn't kill another bat just because he was smaller and weaker. They're not birds or beasts, they're my own kind."

"Then you flout both our laws and our customs. This kingdom is built on Vampyrum strength. If you can't match it, you are either a servant or a meal." She cleaned a streak of blood from her claw. "Now. I know you are a rebel spy. I only want a confession and any information you have."

"I'm not a spy. I know nothing about the rebellion." Slowly, Tecoyo sank to his knees. "I've never acted against the kingdom, on my life. Who told you this? Marisela? It's a lie, I swear to you, I swear by Lord Zotz, I'm not a rebel." His voice was growing faint. "Milady—"

She interrupted his pleading with a long slash of a claw across his back—a third mark, for lying to a Vampyrum. Lying under Zotz's name would have earned him another, but this third already gave him a death sentence.

He flinched back with a cry of pain, then for the first time raised his head to look at Phoenix. He drew back his lips to bare his teeth and hissed.

 _"You've sentenced me to death!"_

"I have," Phoenix said calmly. "You lied to me. Confess."

Tecoyo stood, evidently accepting that cowering would get him nowhere. "So you can tear me limb from limb?" he snarled. "That's no grounds to force a bat to give you anything. I'm going to die anyway! Kill me now, why not!"

"It's not a pleasant way to go, certainly, but perhaps better than me handing you over to the torturer for however long he can keep you alive."

Tecoyo froze and stared. His gaze darted to Cerberus, as if hoping for some mercy from the other Vampyrum.

"It's all in order," Cerberus told him. "Give up the information and earn a traitor's death; refuse and earn a liar's."

A moment of silence.

Tecoyo lunged at Phoenix.

Phoenix lurched backwards and reflexively struck at him with a claw. Blood welled up in a gash on his forehead, and he snarled and again threw himself at Phoenix. Tecoyo was evidently untrained in fighting, however, his every move desperate, sloppy, predictable. In moments Phoenix had her claws sunken into a wrist and a shoulder. Tecoyo writhed and Phoenix crushed his forearm in her jaws; he screamed and crumpled to the floor, clutching his mangled wing. Without breaking eye contact, she dug her rear claws into the open wound and pressed it to the ground. She crouched down to hold his head in place to keep his snapping jaws away from her.

A moment passed as he fought back a whimper of pain. Eventually, Tecoyo hissed, "You want a confession? Then let it be known that I would give everything I have to kill you. And I'm acting alone, but that's all it took for you to give Temotli a traitor's death."

Phoenix bared her teeth in a triumphant grin. Her forearm stung; she registered a shallow scrape. If she recalled correctly, it should heal quickly. All the pain did was remind her that she was alive. It was still so new and exhilarating.

"Is he the last of them?" she asked Cerberus.

"So far, milady." He called to the guards to open the prison. The stone door rolled aside and Phoenix and Cerberus left, leaving the traitor bleeding on the floor as the guards moved the stone back into place.

Phoenix roosted on the ceiling of the bone room as the others ascended to open air. She cleaned blood from her claws and scratched forearm. A wave of…something…washed through her. One of those sensations that live bats felt and that she couldn't quite recall. As invigorating as the interrogations had been, she wanted to rest and not deal with the rest of the living world at the moment. It was so _unfamiliar_ , even overwhelming. She shut her eyes.

The last interrogation hadn't been as successful as she'd hoped. A lone dissenter, uninvolved with the main force. At least three of the others had been outright rebels.

They'd said nothing, though. One had named the two others, but of those two one had pled innocence and the other maintained that he would endure any pain for his cause. The torturer, Moros, was putting that to the test.

He must have stopped for now. The bone room was quiet.

The quiet and the darkness were calming, familiar, reminiscent of the Underworld. She was sure that she would soon be more at ease in the world of the living, but not quite yet. After all, this was only her fourth night alive. The sensations of being out of breath, of pain lingering longer than a second, of hunger—all were _strange_. They weren't entirely unpleasant, as they reminded her of her life and reality, but that didn't negate their oddness.

Or their annoyance. The scratch on her arm throbbed. Getting used to pain again would be aggravating.

It might have been ten minutes or an hour when Phoenix heard wingbeats as someone else descended into the bone room. She kept her eyes closed. Whoever it was hovered for a moment, then flew closer and, to her surprise, roosted beside her.

She opened her eyes and looked up to see Goth.

He tilted his head at her. "The prisoners have been dealt with. What are you doing down here?" His tone wasn't accusatory, simply curious.

"It's…a lot." She took a deep breath. It still felt odd to do so. "Up here. It's so…alive. This room is somewhere in between. It's easier to deal with. I suppose I'm still getting used to living."

Goth didn't reply immediately. Eventually, he said, "I came to ask about the last of the accused. Have you discovered anything new?"

Phoenix shook her head with a scowl. "Nothing. The last was another...solitary dissident." She flicked a claw in the air irritably. "He claimed to know nothing about his people's movement but admitted to supporting seditious ideas."

The prince nodded slowly. Another moment of silence passed.

Phoenix, to put it bluntly, had no idea what to say. She was unpracticed at idle conversation, never before having deemed it worth her time. She'd spoken only when she saw the immediate need to: when there was information to convey or ask for. In her previous life, the habit had allowed her plenty of time for and dedication to her work but hadn't earned her any friends. And there hadn't been much occasion for conversation in the Underworld.

Despite all of that, she felt that it was important to make a good impression on Goth. She couldn't pinpoint a solitary reason—because he was the crown prince, because he was handsome, because he struck her as being charismatic and powerful. Not to mention that, in addition, she should probably make up for however vaguely insolent she might have been a few nights before.

"Would you care to hunt with me?" Phoenix finally asked. Then, remembering herself, she added, "Your Highness?"

Prince Goth dropped from his roost, and Phoenix thought she saw a small smile on his face. "I would."

* * *

Estrella returned to the roost about an hour before dawn and Ichtaca shuddered in relief. He embraced her a second after she landed and whispered in her ear, "You're alive, thank Zotz!"

"I'm being careful," she whispered back, then turned to Iktal and opened her wings. " _¡Mijo!_ I'm so glad you're awake; I don't see you nearly enough anymore!"

"Hi, Mom," said Iktal, hugging her. "I caught a parakeet tonight!"

Iktal rambled on about the bird to Estrella. Ichtaca had been hearing about this accomplishment for the past hour. Still, it gave him comfort to know his son was living as happily as a bat his age should, worrying about catching the biggest prey rather than the Vampyrum inquisitors discovering his mother as a rebel spy.

"Hey, are you okay?" Iktal eventually asked, apparently noting Estrella's haggard expression.

She gave him a tired smile and nodded. "Of course, _mijo_. I just had a stressful night. I'm fine now."

"That's good." He continued on about his parakeet.

A few minutes later, the sky began to lighten. "You can tell me everything tomorrow night," Estrella said gently to Iktal, "but you need to go to sleep now. Your father and I have to go deal with something. We'll be back soon."

"I have to go to sleep _right now?_ The sun isn't even out yet!"

Ichtaca nodded. "The dawn hunters are coming out. Stay in the roost. It'll be a few hours before we get back, so you might as well sleep. All right?"

"Yeah. But I'm not tired," he said as he yawned.

Estrella smiled and ruffled his hair. "See you in the evening."

As she and Ichtaca flew, she told him about how far the Inquisition had already gone. "There were half a dozen taken. Some of them rebels, some completely uninvolved. None of them are dead yet, as far as I can tell, but I doubt any of them will survive. The only question now is if they'll sell us out, and how many more of us are going to die."

Ichtaca was quiet. Estrella and Kratos were right: this demanded immediate action. "The Vampyrum faction you told me about last night," he said. "Any word?"

"Yes, that's why we both have to go to the meeting this time. Phantom made contact with them. They're going to meet us tonight."

Ichtaca was startled—the rebellion had found them so soon?—but didn't falter. "And they won't sell us out? You're sure of that?"

"We can't be sure of anything except that they are set against Camaxtli," Estrella answered. "And if they are Kalán's bats...when he was alive he did nothing but talk. Maybe his heart was in the right place but I'm concerned none of them will be willing to fight, not their own colony."

Again, she was right. Ichtaca had the same concerns. Vampyrum were so often content to stand by and watch when it was only Chrotopterus who were suffering.

The meeting that morning was large. Mecatl's barbaric execution had, apparently, galvanized the rebels rather than cowed them as the Vampyrum had intended. _Good_.

A servant that Ichtaca hadn't met gave a report of the night's events to Kratos and the other rebels who hadn't been at the pyramid. Murmurs of outrage followed, but it didn't sound like anyone was surprised.

A few minutes after the assembled Chrotopterus had been informed of everything, an unfamiliar Vampyrum appeared and landed a few feet before Kratos on a branch. Every bat in the vicinity eyed him with suspicion, some beginning to unfurl their wings in preparation to flee if necessary. Kratos shifted his attention to the Vampyrum.

"I am here on behalf of Lady Harpy," said the Vampyrum. "She wishes to enter into an alliance with your faction in opposition of Camaxtli's reign. She awaits permission to attend your gathering in the company of seven other bats, myself included."

Muttering raced through the crowd—suspicious, excited, curious, hopeful.

"A Vampyrum _lady?"_ Ichtaca said to Estrella under his breath. "This is nothing more than a power grab by greedy nobles! We'll be no better off under them than Camaxtli."

But Estrella was shaking her head. "I don't recognize the name," she whispered. "I don't think this Harpy lives at the pyramid. Perhaps it's a title she gave herself, but I doubt she's a proper lady. She can't be one of the pyramid's nobility."

Still Ichtaca had his suspicions. It was a habit so long as Vampyrum were concerned—a habit so often necessary to survival.

After a moment of consideration, Kratos nodded. "Only the eight of you," he said. "I hope that we can forge a successful alliance."

The Chrotopterus would vastly outnumber eight. They could defend against any aggression they might face from only eight Vampyrum.

"Thank you," said the Vampyrum messenger. "I will relay your response to Lady Harpy."

Ichtaca couldn't suppress the growing apprehension he felt as the messenger flapped away and returned several minutes later with the seven other Vampyrum he had mentioned.

One by one, they landed on the thick branch that Kratos stood on, fanning out to stand in a circle around one of their party, evidently Harpy. She was pale gray, with deep purple wings and short hair in a severe style. He noticed her eyes only because they were a pale, striking blue, which he'd not thought Vampyrum could have. She was also smaller than the average Vampyrum, smaller than the others in her company.

"Kratos," she began with a smile on the border between polite and razor, her voice a drawl. "It's so wonderful to meet you at last. I've heard tell that you and your bats oppose Camaxtli, as I do. I believe the both of us would have better chances against him if we join forces."

"I agree," said Kratos, though his wary demeanor didn't shift. "But tell me...Harpy...what is it that has led you to oppose your colony?"

"I oppose not my colony but the murderer who calls himself their king." Harpy's eyes flashed. "With him and his son gone, I can change every law that holds Chrotopterus as lesser. Abolish servitude and marks. Let the kingdom see Chrotopterus and Vampyrum as equal."

A voice from the crowd finally spoke up. "A lofty ideal, but how would you bring that about? The Vampyrum won't stand by and let an usurper pass those kinds of laws."

The rebel was right. From what Ichtaca knew, most Vampyrum likely wouldn't listen to a leader who wasn't allegedly ordained by Zotz—that is to say, of royal blood—even if defeated by force. Ichtaca had long held the belief that only a complete revolution could change the Vampyrum's harsh rule.

Harpy was silent for a moment, considering, before she again raised her voice. "My father was Lord Kalán."

Astounded and intrigued whispers burst out. Ichtaca drew in a sharp breath. Kalán, the Vampyrum lord who had sympathized with Chrotopterus and drawn a surprising amount of followers among the Vampyrum before his death three years ago.

He had a _child_. Given the Vampyrum's obsession with bloodlines, that had to mean very much to Kalán's old followers.

"And while it's not my favorite way to introduce myself," said Harpy as a smirk crawled across her face, "as Kalán's daughter, I'm also Camaxtli's niece—the second heir to the Vampyrum throne."

 **This is lowkey a mess but that's ok for now**


End file.
